Vidalia 14U Girls Are State Runner-up

The Vidalia Recreation Department 14U girls softball team wrapped up a strong summer campaign last week, making the long trek to Dalton and returning home as the GRPA State Runner-up. Neighboring Lyons also made the trip but faced an early exit after dropping their first two contests.

LRD vs. Emanuel

Lyons opened the tournament against Emanuel County in a tough 9-7 loss. Emanuel built a commanding 9-0 lead by the third inning, scoring two in the first, three in the second, and four in the third. Lyons refused to fold. A five-run surge in the top of the fourth cut the deficit to four, and they plated two more in the fifth before the rally fell short.

VRD vs. Tift

Vidalia kicked off their bracket against Tift County. Tift pushed a run across in the top of the first, but VRD responded in the bottom half to tie it. From there, Vidalia took control. A single run in the second gave them the lead, followed by a threerun third and a four-run fourth to seal a dominant 9-1 victory.

LRD vs. Tift

Dropping into the losers' bracket, Lyons met Tift County and saw their tournament run end in a 7-5 defeat. Tift jumped out to a 6-0 advantage after scoring once in the first and five times in the second. Lyons managed a run in the bottom of the second. Tift added another in the top of the fourth to make it 7-1. Lyons mounted one final comeback attempt with a four-run fifth inning, but the early deficit was simply too wide to overcome.

VRD vs. Emanuel

Vidalia then clashed with Emanuel County in the winners' bracket semifinals. It was a revenge game for Emanuel, who had previously lost to VRD in the District Tournament. Emanuel struck first with three runs in the opening frame. Vidalia answered with two in the top of the second, but Emanuel got one back in the bottom half to make it 4-2. Single runs in the fourth and fifth innings secured a 6-2 Emanuel win, sending VRD to the elimination bracket.

VRD vs. Tift

Facing elimination, Vidalia matched up with Tift County for a second time. VRD rolled to a decisive 10-2 win, fueled by a massive five-RBI performance from Tenley Blewett. Vidalia methodically built their lead with a run in the first and three in the third. A five-run explosion in the fourth put the game out of reach, and they capped the scoring with one final run in the fifth.

VRD vs. Emanuel Championship The victory set up a rematch with Emanuel County in the Championship Game. Despite outhitting Emanuel, Vidalia struggled to find timely hits when it mattered most. VRD took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Emanuel shifted the momentum in the third, pushing three runs across to go up 3-1. Vidalia kept battling and scratched out a run in the fifth, but Emanuel held on for the 3-2 win to claim the Championship.

Even with the narrow loss in the finale, Vidalia put together an impressive season. A District title and a State Runner-up finish cap off a highly successful summer on the diamond for the VRD girls.